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Box 70, Woodsfield, OH 43793.

Oct. 4, 2007 Edition

Members
of the Monroe County Chamber of Commerce
welcomed Nicki Baker, seated, to the Monroe County
business community. Baker is a full service financial
planning consultant contracted through LPL Financial
Services. Shown standing are Bonnie Reed of Reed's in
Lewisville, Monroe County Chamber of Commerce President Dick Sulsberger
and Dana Indermuhle, also representing the Chamber. Photo by Martha
Ackerman

by Martha Ackerman
Staff Writer
Nikki Baker, daughter of Greg and Chris Baker of
Lewisville, has returned to Monroe County to open her
own business. Members of the Monroe County Chamber of
Commerce were on hand recently to welcome Baker into
the business community.
A graduate of The Ohio State University with a degree
in business finance, Baker has worked in the financial
industry since graduating in 2004. She interned during
her college years and most recently worked for Raymond
James Financial in Columbus.
As a full service financial planning firm contracted
through LPL Financial Services, Baker specializes in
retirement and estate planning for individuals and
small businesses. She is also partnering with a
Wheeling financial firm to expand her business.
"Nikki is one of those who went off to school and
came back," said Dick Sulsberger, president of the
Monroe County Chamber of Commerce. "We welcome her
back to the community and wish her well."

"I moved back to the county to open my own firm,"
said Baker. "I wanted to come back to serve the county
and get back to my roots," said Baker. "I look forward
to further involvement in the county." She is
currently a member of the 4-H Endowment Committee.
While in Columbus, Baker worked with charitable
organizations such as the Columbus Foundation and the
Foundation of Appalachian Ohio.
�I want to help promote small businesses in Monroe
County through both my business and also help my
clients capitalize on their small businesses,� said
Baker.
"Clients should start thinking about financial
planning in their 20's and 30's," said Baker. "It's
easier to put small amounts of money away when they
are young than later on in life.
Baker is furthering her education through The Ohio
State University to attain her certification.
"I want to market myself by having seminars and
informational sessions," said Baker.
If a business or group of friends is interested in
hearing more about the financial services Baker
provides, she can be contacted at 740-213-4431 or
e-mail: nikki.baker@lpl.com.

The
annual Monroe Central Football Moms Tour of Homes
is set for Oct. 7, 1-5 p.m. The home of Tom and Cindy
Schumacher is the newest home of the tour but the
couple has incorporated many reminders of their roots
to their decor. The dining room suit and the china cabinet
shown were from the old Schumacher farmhouse. Tom refinished several
of the beautiful pieces found in the house.Photo Courtesy of The Times Leader

by Martha Ackerman
Staff Writer
The Monroe Central Football Moms will again sponsor
its annual Fall Homes Tour featuring five homes and
the office of Dr. Holly Bell, Family Chiropractic and
Nutrition. On this year�s tour are the homes of Jayne
and Matt Vinskovich, Becci Brown, Jerry and Susie
Cunion, Tom and Cindy Schumacher and Sonny Block.
The tour is set for Sunday, Oct 7 from 1 to 5 p.m.
Tickets and refreshments will be available at the
Monroe Central Field House, located at Monroe Memorial
Park, Eastern Avenue, Woodsfield.
The staff of Dr. Holly Bell, Family Chiropractic and
Nutrition, will open the Court Street business for the
tour. Staff members will be on hand to answer any
questions and show visitors around the offices.
When Jayne and Matt Vinskovich first looked at this
1895 home, they were unsure as to whether they wanted
to tackle the enormous amount of work necessary to
make this house livable; but with encouragement and
the help of family and friends, the young couple
completely renovated the home in four months!
See the other homes on the tour in the Monroe County
Beacon!

The Woodsfield community will support the 30th Annual
Woodsfield Run for Kids this weekend.
The event is one of the longest running Ultra
Marathons in the United Sates. Most importantly it has
raised over $450,000 for seven different Children's
Hospitals. All contributions in the Woodsfield area
will be given to Columbus Children�s Hospital to
defray the cost of free and reduced care provided for
needy children of Monroe County.
Charlie Kozlesky is pleased to announce that a
stellar field of experienced ultra marathoners will
participate in the Woods-field run. On the male side,
Dick Sanders, a master runner from Buffalo, New York
will be making his annual trip to Woodsfield. Dick�s
first event was at Monroe County Airport - he�s been
back more than 20 times since. Dick has won several
24-hour events in Woodsfield and in New York. Mitch
Toto will return this year. Mitch is from Belmont,
Ohio and wa one of the original runners that
accompanied Charlie on his first trip to Pittsburgh
and also ran from Pittsburgh to Columbus. Mitch has
finished several Iron Man Triathlons and has also
ridden his bicycle around the perimeter of the United
States. These two individuals will challenge Charlie
who has won an Ultramarathon in four decades. Charlie
also holds a personal best of 123 -and a half miles in
a 24 hour period.
On the female side, Lori Michener will be defending
her crown. Lori has competed in this race for at least
the past 10 years and will be challenged by ultra
veteran Ruta Mazelis of Northeast Ohio. Charlie hopes
this will be a highly competitive race.
Charlie also notes that several other local runners
may be joining the veteran team. Chris Benedict and
Susie Paulus of Woodsfield will also be returning from
last year.
The Woodsfield Run for Kids is noted as one of the
premier ultra marathons in the United States not just
for the competition but the support that surrounds the
event. Each year the Woodsfield Community not only
contributes about $10,000 every year for this event
but they provide food, lodging and most importantly
volunteers that work very hard to support the runners.
Charlie will be recognizing about 20 of these
individuals and businesses at the awards banquet on
Saturday night.
Remember, all dollars contributed during this year�s
event will assist the children of Monroe County.
Remember, too, to make checks payable to Children's
Hospital and send to Charlie Kozlesky, 254 Brown-stone
Court, Westerville, OH 43081.

Taten Ayers, interim director of Jobs etc./One Stop,
provided an update and information about his program
at the Sept. 25 meeting of Monroe County
commissioners. He also listed dates and times that
employees and those seeking employment may register in
the SCOTI program.
Through the SCOTI program Jobs etc. is identifying
the workforce that already exists, strengthening it,
and marketing it to employers.
According to Ayers� information, there are 648
residents seeking jobs as of Sept. 18. His report
shows 757 people, including county residents and
nonresidents have expressed a desire to work in Monroe
County
Jobs being sought include laborers and freight,
stock, and material movers, production and
construction workers, home health aides, cashiers,
office clerks, retail salespersons and industrial
truck and tractor operators.
By providing desired employment information, skills
and educational levels along with other pertinent
information, Jobs etc. can work with individuals to
market their skills to available employers in Monroe
and surrounding counties. The system is also used to
attract jobs to the county.
Ayers encourages job seekers and employers to
register in SCOTI, the statewide job matching system
used by local employers to find skilled workers.
Registration may be done online atwww.scoti.ohio.gov.
or at the Broadband Center located
at Monroe County Commerce Park
SCOTI Registration is held at the Broadband Center on
Fridays at 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Jobs etc. and Influent will hold an informational
meeting and SCOTI Registration at the Broadband Center
on Oct. 11. Four sessions are set beginning at 10
a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m.
In an unrelated Jobs and Family Services matter,
officials approved a move for Stacey Magruder to
Social Service Worker 2. She has been employed with
JFS since 2007.

~
Beallsville Homecoming King
and Queen ~Martha
Koehler chose the box containing the blue rose
to become Beallsville High School�s 2007 Homecoming
Queen. She is the daughter of Mark and Debbie Koehler
of Beallsville. Martha was escorted by Joey Albus, son
of Richard and Maria Albus also of Beallsville. Photo by Martha Ackerman

<Coin
Found is "One in a Million"click here for imagesThis "One in a Million" Kennedy half dollar was
received in change by Gary Ricer, local coin dealer.
After noticing a lighter weight and distinctive sound
when dropped, Ricer investigated and was able to pry
the coin apart. Inside he found the back of the coin
was laminated, electroplated and struck on a large
copper Mexican coin! Photos submitted by Gary
Ricerby Gary Ricer
I was recently in Columbus with three of my brothers
to see the Ohio State Buckeyes Big Ten opener. With
over a 100,000 people in attendance, I let the long
lines at halftime thin out before I ventured to ground
level to the food vendors.
Besides, it was 45-0 at halftime so it wasn't major
if I missed a few minutes of the third quarter. I got
a basket of nachos and cheese with a pop and was given
a 50 cent piece back in change.
I thought to myself "that's pretty neat: because you
don't see a lot of Kennedy half dollars anymore.
Considering I've dealt and collected coins since I
learned to ride a bike, I thought this coin was
slightly light, but quickly dismissed it and headed
back to my seat.
Later, back home, I showed it to my daughter and
dropped it on the roll top desk with the rest of the
change in my pocket. It made a distinctive flat
"thunk" as it hit the desk, not the normal metallic
"ring." If that makes any sense.
Now every coin collector knows there are three sides
to every coin: the front (obverse), back (reverse) and
the edge or rim. I examined the edge with a magnifier
and found a microscopic seam. I carefully picked and
pried with the tip of a pocket knife blade and low and
behold, the coin fell apart in two halves!
Richelle's eyes were as big as golf balls! The back
of the coin was laminated, electroplated and struck on
a large copper Estados Unidos Mexican planchet. The
Kennedy head front was a shell that fit tightly and
perfectly over the back planchet.
Now two questions immediately come to mind: How was
this coin put together and Why? There's a possibility
it is a rare United States Mint error struck on a
foreign planchet. It does occasionally happen.
However, I feel this is the work of a professional
counterfeiter. But Why? Why would someone spend
countless hours altering a coin that's worth a mere 50
cents? Smuggling is a logical answer. But What? Drugs?
I believe the coin's inner compartment has such a
tight tolerance (1/1000 of an inch) that even the
smallest of drugs wouldn't fit.
Showing it around prompted several other theories.
One intriguing theory is that it was a test coin
intended to smuggle a valuable microchip. A paper thin
microchip just might fit. Another theory was that its
purpose was to smuggle some type of chemical or germ
warfare! Sounds like something out of a James Bond
movie, doesn't it?
At any rate, I thought I would share the story with
the local paper, then send it registered to "Coin
World" for examination. They see all kinds of coin
oddities.
Then, finally send it to the Federal Government. I
know, I'll probably never get it back, but it's ok,
too. The authorities need to know, especially if it
could somehow have been intended for some type of
terrorism!
So the purpose of this article is to stimulate
interest, perhaps. Interest that maybe you'll look
just a little closer next time you get a pocketful of
change.
I know I literally found one in a million!

Dear Editor,
I was reading the article on the Datkuliak gas well.
I think the Datkuliaks should be compensated for their
loss and everyone who was on the well have free gas
from the owner Bob Murray. Sounds only fair.Geraldine Peterson
Sardis

Dear Editor,
About nine months ago, the U.S. Senate voted 95-0 to
approve General Petraeus as the one to conduct a study
as to how the war in Iraq was progressing as it
pertains to the "surge" of troops.
Then on Sept. 20, a resolution to condemn those
responsible for the "General Betray US" ad ran in the
NY Times.
Then comes Sept. 20. To express the sense of the
Senate that General David H. Petraeus, Commanding
General, Multi-National Force-Iraq, deserves the full
support of the Senate and strongly condemn personal
attacks on the honor and integrity of General Petraeus
and all members of the Unites States Armed Forces.
Bill Number: H.R. 1585.
The vote was 25 against, 72 for. Note: all 25 against
votes were cast by Democrats, all Republican Senators
voted for.
Below is how our two senators voted:
Brown: nay; Voinovich: yea.Hilbert Ault
Woodsfield

Dear Editor,
Consumers needing to resolve utility complaints can
once again turn to the Office of the Ohio Consumers�
Counsel (OCC) and its toll-free hotline at
1-877-PICKOCC (1-877-742-5622).
Thanks to Gov. Ted Strickland and the Ohio
legislature, the OCC is re-establishing its complaint
handling service on Oct. 1 based on the state's most
recent budget. After two years of not being able to
handle complaints, the OCC will once again strive to
bring customers positive results.
During the previous budget period, all utility
complaints were handled by state utility regulators.
The OCC continued to answer questions and provide
educational information through its toll-free hotline.
It closely monitored utility issues by reviewing
information provided by state regulators.
The OCC hotline can assist consumers on electric,
natural gas, telephone and water issues, including the
following:
Resolving a complaint about utility service
Providing assistance on under standing charges on
utility bills
Explaining the steps to choosing a natural gas or
telephone provider
Providing fact sheets on understanding utility bills
and other related topics
Offering cost saving tips through energy conservation
and efficiency
Resolving issues on disconnection and reconnection of
utility services
Educating consumers on how to apply for low-income
assistance programs
Consumers also can reach representatives by sending
requests or questions to occ@occ.state.oh.us, visiting
the website at www.pickocc.org or by
writing to Office
of the Ohio Consumers� Counsel, 10 W. Broad St., 18th
Floor, Columbus, OH 43215.
Janine Migden-Ostrander
Office of Ohio
Consumers' Counsel

Dear Editor,
As a former student and a 1983 graduate of Woodsfield
High School and as a person that grew up and enjoyed a
great life in Monroe County, I am very concerned about
recent letters I have read in your paper pertaining to
situations in the Switzerland of Ohio Local School
District.
I spent many years in Columbus working for a hospital
system where I made very nice wages and enjoyed great
benefits. However, my desire was always to come back
home, even if it meant lower wages and a simpler life
for my family. I had hopes that my kids would play
ball for Coach Circosta, would have teachers like Doc
Connor for chemistry, and would be able to visit a
park where people like Jane and Ward Strickling looked
out for them, smiled at them, and knew their names.
I didn't quite make it home to Woodsfield. I now live
and work in Barnesville as the school nurse for the
district, where I have gained new perspectives on the
plight of teachers and education in our area.
Unfortunately, Barnesville schools have a community
with similar problems regarding "teacher resentment"
that the communities feeding the Switzerland of Ohio
District seem to have. In both districts, the
community experiences "sticker shock" when they see
15-20 years experienced teachers making $40,000 per
year (because many members of the community do not
make that wage). However, it must be kept in mind that
these teachers are required to obtain Master's degrees
and often spend thousands of dollars a year to obtain
the continuing education required by the state. It
must also be kept in mind that these teachers could
travel to Zanesville, Marietta or Cambridge and make a
lot more money. Fortunately for your district, they
have chosen to stay with your kids. According to a
recent "Ohio Schools" magazine article, starting
teacher pay in the Switzerland of Ohio Local School
District is 599th out of 620 districts in the state.
Some may look at the numbers and feel that around
$25,000 per year is a decent starting salary in our
area, but what other profession requiring a Master's
degree (6-8 years of college education) pays a
starting salary of $25,000 per year and tops out under
$50,000 per year? Some may say, "Well, teachers have
summers off!" Most of the teachers I know spend their
summers paying large sums of their own money to obtain
additional skills and knowledge to give your kids the
best education possible during the school year. Many
of them also spend much of their summers coaching and
mentoring your children.
In order to keep people in the district, Switzerland
of Ohio Schools will need to have decent facilities,
decent salaries, and decent people. If you continue to
devalue your teachers and berate the Board for giving
them decent wages and benefits, you are going to lose
good teachers. Additionally, you are going to lose
community members that value the retention of quality
teachers and a quality education for their kids. You
will be left with nobody in your communities but the
people that stay there due to lack of other
opportunities and a lack of education and skills
enabling them to move on. Your communities will
continue to downward spiral into poverty and
hopelessness.
If you continue to bicker among yourselves and fail
to pass the levy needed to get decent facilities, this
will add to your inability to attract and retain
productive community members. Surely there is some
solution for building sites that would be agreeable to
all of the communities involved? If sports
consolidation is the drawback, could you consider one
facility with two teams until the students decide they
are ready to be one? Can two schools exist in the
same building within one district? For the sake of
your communities and your kids, think outside of the
box and find solutions instead of constantly putting
up obstacles to progress and change.Beth Seneff
Barnesville

< Juanita A. Reynolds Bolen,
92, of Monroe St., Sardis,
died Sept. 28, 2007, at Wetzel County Hospital, New
Martinsville. She was born Dec. 14, 1914, the daughter
of the late Ralph and Clara Holtsclaw Reynolds.
Sympathy expressions at
www.grisellfuneralhomes.com.

< Gurland Howard Phillips, 81,
died Sept. 24, 2007, at
Riverside Methodist Hospital. He was born June 1,
1926, a son of Preston and Florence Skinner Phillips
of Farmville, N.C.

< Everett Beckett, 86,
Louisville, died Sept. 24, 2007,
at his home. He was born May 4, 1921 near Sardis to
the late Forrest and Olive Pittman Beckett. Online
condolences may be expressed at
www.bauerturner.com.

< Charles M. Deulley, 78, of
Eagle Pointe, Parkersburg
and Belpre, formerly of Middlebourne, died Sept. 29,
2007, in the facility. He was born Oct. 9, 1928, a son
of the late Floyd C. and Lula G. Frederick Deulley.

< Clarence E. Stephen, 91, St.
Clairsville, went to be
with his loving wife, Sept. 29, 2007. He passed away
at Crestview Health Care Center. He was born April 4,
1916, a son of the late Milton and Anna Jeffers
Stephen.

< Houston Lee, 83, Woodsfield,
died Sept. 25, 2007, at
Monroe County Care Center. He was born March 17, 1924,
in Gurdon, Arkansas, a son of the late Nora (Nanny)
McKelvy Lee and Jewell Lee.
Online condolences may be expressed at
www.bauerturner.com.

By Denny Easterling A lazy person sleeps soundly - and goes hungry.
Keep the commandments and keep your life; despising
them leads to death.
OK, you know what happens! Just when you think
Suddenlink TV cable is on the road to improvement, it
appears to be turning into one of the, if not the
poorest TV cables in this area of the state. We
received our green card today informing us the
Columbus stations are not available. This info just
became available? Sounds fishy. I�m wondering if the
changes in the basic TV will still be made or if they
will go back to the old basic. I can hardly wait to
get the Celebrity Shopping channel so I can go out on
the town. Oh well, as the man says, there is more than
one way to skin a cat. Are we getting skinned? I guess
things happen with no competition.
I think this is about the time to start cutting corn.
I wonder how many do not know what is meant by cutting
corn? I really didn�t mind cutting corn as long as
someone tied the stalks together to make the shocks.
Were they called a horse? At any rate it was a lot
more fun than hoeing corn, a job I disliked when it
was a hundred degrees in the shade. I saw some
cornfields over the weekend that would cause an
endless job if cut by hand, as we did.
I also drove by several soybean fields ready for
harvest. I doubt if there is a soybean planted in our
county. We did plant a patch of soybeans for hay one
year. Boy, was that a mistake. Soybean hay is almost
impossible to handle with a regular pitch fork. The
old cows did eat it and we did get plenty for them to
eat. We only tried it once.
I don�t know how we came up with some of the things
we did, because we planted oats one year for hay. This
seemed to be working OK until dad and the oats hay
slid off the wagon on the way to the barn. Ever laugh
when you are not supposed to? We had to use a boom
pole on every load after the first one. I wonder how
many know what a boom pole is?
Getting to the time of the year to ask the once a
year question. What do you call a meatless hot dog? A
hollow wiener. Get it?
Do any of you remember corn night? We have the corn
hole game now but our corn night was more fun. No
trick or treat, we had a bag of shelled corn and
walked over town throwing it at people�s windows. I
guess I didn�t know the big deal about it, but it was
our trick or treat night. We sometimes made a spool
into a knobby wheel and placed it against a window and
pulled the string. This would make you jump if you
were not expecting it.
Soap? Yes, a few carried a bar of soap to use on some
special windows in town. Only a few carried a bar of
soap as most of us were allergic to soap at our age.
We were fortunate as our windows were high enough they
couldn�t be reached with a bar of soap. We did not
upset any of the little houses out back, but it was
sure tempting for some houses. Most of them in town
had rather strong foundations.
You might want to try this sometime. The largest item
on any menu in the world is a particularly special
roast camel, which is prepared very occasionally for
Bedouin wedding feasts. Cooked eggs are stuffed into
fish, the fish are then stuffed into cooked chickens,
the chickens in turn are stuffed into a roasted
sheep�s carcass, and the sheep finally stuffed into a
whole camel. Talk about eating high on the hog. This
is no joke as it�s from Guiness World Records.
Remember I�d walk a mile for a camel?
Had a very interesting and enjoyable week end last
week. I attended a freshman orientation FFA camp. I
had forgotten how freshmen were so full of life and
had so much energy. Too bad some lose this as they get
older. Two hundred of them, all students starting in a
Vocational Agricultural Program of some type. The
purpose of the camp was to learn more about the FFA,
make plans, develop goals and have fun. I couldn't
believe four corn hole games made by chapters and
donated to camp.
It does make your heart feel good to be around a
group of this type of students when all you hear is
the bad stuff about our youth. You just can�t describe
the feeling.
A little boy was making quite a mess at the table.
His father scolded him, �Son, you eat like a pig.�
Realizing his little boy had never seen a pig, he
said, �You know what a pig is, don�t you, son?� �Yes,�
he replied, �It�s a hog�s little boy.�
The key for getting ahead is setting eight hours a
day for work and eight hours a day for sleep - and
making sure they�re not the same hours.
The modern idea of roughing it is doing without a
computer in each room.
Attend church Sunday? Why not?
Bible readings: (Mon.) 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; From
Genesis (Tues.) 24:50-61; (Wed.) 24:62-67; (Thurs.)
25:19-23; (Fri.) 25:24-28; (Sat.) 25:29-34; (Sun.)
27:30-40.